Process of producing gasoline and other hydrocarbons from coconut oil and related animal and vegetable oils and fats



March 1948. s., PETROFF ETAL 7,

PROCESS OF PRODUCING GASOLINE AND OTHER HYDROCARBONSFROM COCONUT OIL AND RELATED ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE OILS 'AND FATS Filed May s, 1946 Patented Mar. 9, I948 PROCESS OF PRODUCING GASOLINE AND OTHER HYDROCARBONS FROM COCONUT OIL AND RELATED ANIJVIAL AND VEGE- TABLE OILS AND FATS Sergius Petrofi and Anthony E. Prats, r Manila, P. I.

Application May 3, 1946, Serial No. 667,010

1 Thisinvention relates'to a process by means of which gasoline and other hydrocarbons, including lubricating oil, kerosene, etc., may be produced from vegetable oils and animals fats,

and is particularly designed for the production of oils similar to petroleum oils, 1. e., essentially hydrocarbon-oils, in localities where economic conditions make it justifiable.

' -While hydrocarbon oils have heretofore been produced in laboratories from vegetable oils, the processes previouslyhave generally embodied a thermal cracking operation (pyrolysis), usually in the presence of various catalysts. In the process of the present invention the production of the hydrocarbon in the first instance at least is apparently not dependent upon any thermo decomreacting the lime soap with additional slaked lime in a retort which may be heated to' tem-'- peratures which may. not exceed, say, 625 F.

so as to be well below the normal thermal crack- We have found that under,

ing point of oils. these conditions the lime soap (which may be represented by the formula Ca(RCOO)2) undergoes reaction forming'hydrocarbons which may be represented by the following:

In the foregoing formula reaction, R represents hydrocarbon radical and accordingly RH as produced by the reaction isthe obtained hydrocarbon; The reaction may be carried out to a substantial completion with a full theoretical yield of the desired hydrocarbon. The hydrocarbon oils obtained may be fractionally distilled :into products corresponding to the products obtained from petroleum oil, such as gasoline, kerosene, etc., and may be subjected, or certain fractions thereof be subjected to, any usual orpreferred type of cracking reaction in order to increase the proportion of gasoline constituent produced by the operation.

In order that the reaction described above shall proceed smoothly and efficiently. we have further discovered that the mass undergoing re- 1 Claim. (Cl. 260-666! action in the retort should be maintained in a substantially fluid or semifluid state and under continuous mixing. This, we have found, can be efiected by adding to the reacting mass of slakedlime and calcium soap 2. quantity of high boiling oil which may be a, fraction of the product of the proces produced in some previous operation.

The process of the present invention, together with various further objects and advantages of the invention, will be completely understood from the following description of the preferred forms or examples of the process. We have, therefore, described in connection with the accompanying drawings, the preferred forms of the process.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 indicates an apparatus of the type we have employed for carrying out the process in a batch operation.

Figure 2 indicates a suitable apparatus for carrying out a continuous operation.

Inthe preferred process of the present invention, the vegetable oil is first split into glycerin and fatty acids or calcium soaps of fatty acids. While this may be accomplished by an autoclave process (or by Twitchells process) giving a glycerin-water and free fatty acid with a subsequent separation of the fatty acid from the glycerin and its reaction therafter to form lime soap, in the preferred process of the present invention, preferably slaked lime is added to the vegetable oil and the vegetable oil saponified directly to a mixture of lime soap and glycerin. For example, to 75 kilograms of quick lime is added 250 kilograms of water to form milk of lime, after which there is added 500 kilograms of coconut oil. Then with continuous stirring the mass is heated to boiling and then preferably left to stand for about a day for the completion of the saponification reaction. Thereafter the lime soap is filtered and the glycerin contained therein washed out, for example, by repeated portions of warm water.

The lime soap is then ready for the production 'of the hydrocarbons which may be carried out,

be mounted in the same furnace 3, as indicated.

the retort there was added about 20% excess powdered slaked lime over and above that requlred by the formula previously described for.

the production of the hydrocarbons, In the example being described, this corresponded to about 50 kilograms of lime. There was also preferably added a high boiling point hydro-v carbon oil in order to assist in maintaining the contents of the retort 2 fluid. For this purpose about 50 kilograms of high boiling point oil was added from the previous operation. The material in the retort 2 is then heated while being mixed, the mixer A- turning over three or four revolutions per minute. Distillation of the produced hydrocarbon material starts at tempera. tures around 200 to 250 C. and continues until the temperature reaches, around 560 0. During the process, the vaporized, hydrocarbons are partially condensed in the, condenser 6 and the condensed materials to some extent re-boiled in the re-Jooiler l, which results in the partial separation, at least, of the low and high boiling point oil. The high boiling point oil is retained in the re-boiler I, while the low boiling point oils, along with some produced steam from the retort 2 passes through line 8 on the condenser E. The condenser 9 cooling water should be added through line Iii so as to maintain the temperature at about 20 C. in order to effectively condense all of the lighter hydrocarbon materials. These operations of the process did result in substantial, complete recovery of the hydrocarbon component of the lime soaps as hydrocarbon oil.

Now referring. to Fig. 2 of the drawings, we have shown a modified form of the apparatus which may be used for a continuous operation. As indicated in the drawings, there is provided a retort ll slightly tapering towards the discharge end and generally positioned in a horizontal manner, as indicated. The retort is partially divided into a plurality of compartments by the baiiies l2 and it which in the first compartment illustrated, prevents the movement of liquid or solid material, but allows ovcrflcwof liquid from one compartment to the other compart: merit. In the last compartment of the retort there is an opening at the lower end baffle l2, as

indicated at l i, where any solid residue may pass into the last compartment. A common shaft 15 isprovided which mounts a scraperand mixer 16 in each of the compartments. of the retort. These scrapers are preferably given a slight pitch so that the scrapers in the last two compartments of the retort will assist inmoving the mass in the interior or" the apparatus. 1 A

To the first compartmentthere is connected a supply line H in which the mixture f melted lime soap, slaked lime,--and high boiling point. oil may bev continuously supplied, and from the last compartment. there l ads a discharge. line, 18 for removing any residue from the retort; l9; indicates suitable drive means for the mixer shaft I5 and burners 20 are indicated as provided for each compartment so that separate regulation of the heat thereto may be carried out, if necessary. The temperature in the retort must be gradually raised from C. in first compartment up to 5 0 C. at. the. dis h rge. end of the retor Each of the compartments is provided with a separate discharge line 2| from the vapors which,

if desired, maybe separately collected, but we have indicated the discharge lines 2| as connected to the common manifold 22 leading to a condenser 23.

The manner of conducting the reaction in the continuous'retort is believed obvious from the description given; materials are continuously supplied to, line I! to produce hydrocarbons continuously, which are in turn condensed in the condenser 23.

Resulting from the reaction taking place in the retort of the present invention, there is provided, hydrocarbon oil commonly equivalent to about 97% readily obtainable by the reaction. This hydrocarbon oil includes. without alteration by cracking,;oth er means, gasoline constitu nts together with kerosene, lubricating oil, and high boiling oint constituents. In one example of the process, there was produced a soscalled light oil compound equivalent to gasoline, in boiling poi a o n i g to about 2.8% oilth product, the remaining 72% being heavier oil. The. producti n f the light o l. may be increased y cracking the heavy oil.

hil t e p t r f rm of: the processsherein e cri d is l da ted to rry o t tbeo iect of the p ent. i ion, i i tube u derstood reaction.

- SEBGIUS; BETRQFE AN: THON-Y; E. .BRATSi- REFERENCES CIT D.

The following references are ofrecord in the file of this patent:

UNITED TATES rerENrs s Number Name Date 898,547 Barrett l Sept. 15; '1908 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 175,974 Great Britain June 18', '1923 485,123 Great Britain May 16, 1938 

